The Republican journal., 1887-08-18
BELFAST, MAINE THURSDAY, AUGUST 49, 1887.

under the instruction of teacher who writes
love-letters to married woman"
"And to think that Mr.. Snow should attempt
to cover it up and excuse it ~ added Mrs. Cow
les. 81 don't know but we shall be obliged 10
withdraw from the church. My husband thinks
there is great deal of corruption among minis
ters themselves nowadays"
Certainly no one was better able to detect
corruption anywhere than Mr.. Cowlcs, if half
the stories of his own immoral escapadcs could
be relied upon. But Mrs. Cowles' friends re-
manned discreetly silent Oh this point.
II shall not allow Cora to 60 to the parsonage
tomorrow evening"" interposed Mrs. Brown.
II think the discussion of such subjects has a
most demoralizing effect OH young people. 1t
is deplorable affair all round."
But when the evening came Cora did go.
More than that, to her mothers great horror,
she crossed the room and sat down by Jack
Downs and his wife, vino sat alone together on
the long sofa, although a great many were
standing up around the large parlors.
This was not so much from sympathy with
Mrs. Downs, as professional instinct such as
that which impels surgeon to investigate all
sorts of pathological monstrosities. She want
ed to observe for herself the ravages of re-
morse. humiliation and unhappy love, the bet
ter to finish her poem.
But Mrs. Downs was as pretty, as gay and
as nonchalant as ever. Once or twice she whis-
pered behind her fan to her husband, and once
she actually laughed, which SO outraged the
sensibilitics of the more severely virtuous mat
rons that they shudJercd with horror.
Mr.. Cotton was romantic looking young
man. with di>heveled hair. and look of gen.
eral shrewdness. lie had lately come to Pine
Falls as a teacher. and now stood leaning
against the mante. His romantic appearance,
so attractive to the ladies. was due to his hair.
which he wore long on account of his cars,
they being enormously large, and an interest
ing pallor which was caused by dyspepsia. and
not IInh1nnV love the yOuun In dies SunpnSpI
Il have here" said Mr.. Snow, "a letter which
has been Il theme of much severe comment.
The envelope is addressed to Mrs. Downs, and
it was picked up in the street by Mrs. Martins
little son, who took it to his fathers grocery.
The contents are in Il different penmansil!p,
with Mr.. Colton's name as signature. l will
ask Mr.. Cotton to make an explanation, which
will, no doubt, be satisfactory
'Satisfactory:" repeated Mr.. Cowlcs, with
more spirit than politenes>. ''ft seems to me
that when man writes in that style to an
other mans wife, calling her husband Il base
wrctch"-herc he cast an indignant glance at
jack DownS-''and urging her to run away
with him, satisfactory explanation is not an
easy matter"
''You are mistaken. sir" answered Mr.. Col
ton. San explanation in this case is very easily
made. am member Of an amateur thcatri-
ral club, and wrote out my part at Mr.. Downs
one evening. copying it out Of Il book Of his.
Mrs. Downs gave me- an envelope from one of
her letters that lay the table to put the man
u>cript i'll. and unfortunately lost it on my
way home. | will now read the lines. if Mr..
Cowlcs will look over the printed pages and
see if | read them corrcrtly.
Shainetacrd. Mr.. CoWlcS looked ON while
MIR. Cotton read, with much dramatic effect:
NV angel fly with me.
ifar in other lands beyond the sea
Wen build home sacred to love and thee.
Scorn the base wretch W llu in Your humble home
l'rofanes the name Of ovc--:t, be my own.
And heaven is not so high, nor earth vast
But that its treasures ut thy feet I'll cast.
There is Il full page of it. with my name
signed at the bottom, but this will suffice, |
Think" and Mr.. Cotton cool!y sat down while il
look of CONSERVATION went round the room.
Mrs. Downs WeHt up to Helen Grant and
kissed her.
Thank you. dear, for your faith in me.
heard all about it, and I'll never forget it as
long as live
She looked so gentle and "iri>h in her iail,-
iy white ,lrapcreS, with that look of childish
gratitude in her blue eyes. tlat kind-hcartcd
Mrs. Jcfrry went up and put her motherly
eyes:
"Forgivc mc-forgivc lis all, won't you?'
Jack answered for her:
''Shc forgivcS you, we both forgive you,
nci"hhors and friends hut if any man repeats
such stun again. about my wife or any other
woman, give him warning here and now that
il will afford Inc infinite pleasure to give him a
sound thraShing.'
And that was the last of the great scandal at
Pine Falls.